Nikon Z9 Announcement: $5500 [28 October 2021]

[Dieter Schaefer]

Just watched the beginning of Matt Granger's Z9 review where he compares Z9 and Z7II AF - quite astonishing difference (showing how bad the Z7II actually performs).

in advance for testing clearly received it directly from Nikon and is someone Nikon trusts.

FroKnowsPhoto (Jared Polin) got one early directly from Nikon - and he most certainly is not on a Nikon trust list.

[mike_halliwell]

(showing how bad the Z7II actually performs).

I've never handled a Z7ii, but is the AF similar to the Z6ii?

 

ie, the Z9 blows it out of the water!

[ilkka_nissila]

I've never handled a Z7ii, but is the AF similar to the Z6ii?

 

ie, the Z9 blows it out of the water!

 

Z6 II and Z7 II should have very similar AF but the latter has a larger number of (smaller) focus areas so it may be slightly slower due to having more data to process. The Z6 II has pretty good AF when the subject is not moving fast. This is really the key. If the subject is moving quickly towards the camera then it can easily miss the plot. The Z9 seems to handle these situations much better due to faster processor and faster sensor read time.

 

I see no reason why the new Expeed 7 would not be inherited by cameras at lower levels in the lineup, but it could be the stacked sensor may be too expensive or difficult to manufacture in volume to include in the lower priced cameras. I am just guessing but no one is really offering this type of a sensor in a mid-priced camera. For now. Of course, it would be great if they could.

[Dieter Schaefer]

AF similar to the Z6ii

Z7II has more points, less EV range. I doubt that the overall performance is different between the two though. Every test I've seen always put Nikon's mirrorless last against Sony (A9II and A1) and Canon (R5 and R3).

 

It looks like with the Z9 Nikon has now eliminated the gap towards the latest Sony and Canon offerings. At least to the point where one doesn't have to consider switching systems. Of course, those who already jumped the Nikon ship are unlikely to come back. Now they need to get those teles out (although it appears that the older F-mount ones work quite well on the Z9 (not as well as I heard as the older EOS-mounts do on the new Canon mirrorless though).

 

I am glad the Z9 comes in at a more "reasonable" $5500 as it looks like a very nice upgrade to my D500/D850 setup. Though I am not rushing to pre-order one right now; I might grab one once they are available off-the-shelf.

[ilkka_nissila]

"Z7II has more points, less EV range. I doubt that the overall performance is different between the two though. Every test I've seen always put Nikon's mirrorless last against Sony (A9II and A1) and Canon (R5 and R3)."

 

Those comparisons are across different price classes of cameras. Z6 II and Z7 II cost from one half to one fourth of the prices of those Sony and Canon models.

 

"Now they need to get those teles out (although it appears that the older F-mount ones work quite well on the Z9 (not as well as I heard as the older EOS-mounts do on the new Canon mirrorless though)."

 

Heard from where? With which lenses? As these are several decades old systems they include lenses of very different AF performances and generalizations should be avoided. It is easy to find user reports complaining about AF results with R5 and specific older EF lenses, for example. It is unlikely that more than a few people have used both the Z9 and R3 and fewer still with extensive sets of adapted lenses so I find it hard to believe that someone can make across the lineup claims about adapted lens performance differences between the two systems. How can performance be better than every shot being in focus? I think it would take months to come to such conclusions.

[Dieter Schaefer]

Heard from where?

I think it was Jared Polin who mentioned it in passing - and he would be one of the few who at least has shot with the Z9, Sony's A9/A9II and AI1, and Canon's R5 and R3. Don't know which lenses he adapted or what his opinion was based on.

 

Those comparisons are across different price classes of cameras. Z6 II and Z7 II cost from one half to one fourth of the prices of those Sony and Canon models.

Didn't do well against R6 or A7RIV either.

[ilkka_nissila]

Didn't do well against R6 or A7RIV either.

 

Well, that depends on the task. There seems to be nowadays an obsession about the camera tracking the subject across the frame, but that capability isn't always needed or even wanted (if it can hop from subject to subject without the photographer's intention). Some users who have both systems reported that they consider the Z6 II / Z7 II similar in AF performance to the current versions of the A7 family.

 

In many situations I've gotten close to 100% of shots in focus with the Z6 II. One just needs to understand the system and work with its strengths rather than try to find where it fails and then make a big fuss about it. Fast-moving subjects are outside of the domain of application of these cameras, basically. That still leaves a lot of photographic applications within reach.

Edited October 28, 2021 by ilkka_nissila

[mike_halliwell]

If the subject is moving quickly towards the camera then it can easily miss the plot.

 

Hopefully, the Z9 will be better than the Z6ii..

Edited October 28, 2021 by mike_halliwell

[c_watson1]

Z 9 Live Q&A - with Kristian Schuller, Amy Shore, Ricci Chera:

 

 

 

Z 9 Live Q&A - with Kristian Schuller, Amy Shore, Ricci Chera:

 

 

Brand ambassadors/influencers talking about their sponsor's wares. Deep...

[Erik-Christensen]

Only if you tell them.....;)

 

I gather the 'buy it with cash, and mail the empty box home to yourself' is the way to go....:D

Only if you tell them.....;)

 

I gather the 'buy it with cash, and mail the empty box home to yourself' is the way to go....:D

I fully agree with you, but if you travel frequently, there is still a risk, that the customs in the airport ask you to proof, that

that you have bought it in DK or paid the VAT and import duty. Many have scanned their receipts to their phone to avoid

the trouble.

I myself do not have the problem, as I am a resident in Vietnam, and here you only get handwritten receipts in most shops,

and you can buy any photo equipment gray market, which may sometimes even be cheaper as US prices. I have never had a

problem with service or repair at the authorized Nikon Center.

[ShunCheung]

I myself do not have the problem, as I am a resident in Vietnam, and here you only get handwritten receipts in most shops,

and you can buy any photo equipment gray market, which may sometimes even be cheaper as US prices.

Erik should just sneak over next door to Thailand and pick one up from the factory. :cool:

[Rob Davies]

OK, pre-order in. Let's see how long it takes. :)

[Erik-Christensen]

Erik should just sneak over next door to Thailand and pick one up from the factory. :cool:

good idea, but I am still limited locked down - only first jab

[mike_halliwell]

If the Z9's processors can do so well with 45MPix, then the Z6ii's half number of pixels should manage better.

 

I wonder if the hints about Firmware 2.0 will address that?

[ilkka_nissila]

The Z6 II has dual Expeed 6 processors whereas the Z9 has an Expeed 7 which is said (in some of the videos covering the Z9) to be 10 x faster, but it's not clear whether this is according to Nikon or just deduced from the specs of the camera, and whether a single Expeed 7 is actually 10x faster than two Expeed 6's (or just one). Nikon may be able to increase the efficacy of processing of the Z6 II / Z II by tweaking the code but it doesn't seem like they could implement the same kind of processing that the Z9 has. I saw a video where it became evident that the Z9 is able to locate and track a human subject's face or eye from a much greater distance (and with much greater reliablity) which suggests that it is able to evaluate the image and PDAF data at much higher resolution for the purposes of subject tracking and AF than the earlier Z cameras (Z7 II was used in the comparison). I think the Z6 / Z7 families' next iteration (III) will likely feature Expeed 7 and it could be interesting to see how far the performance can mimic that of the Z9.

 

Of course, it would be nice to see a major firmware update to the current Z6 II and Z7 II.

[mike_halliwell]

Of course, it would be nice to see a major firmware update to the current Z6 II and Z7 II.

I suppose Nikon wants as many Z6 and Z7 users to buy the Z9, so maybe they won't for a while??

 

There was some nice footage from chap in Svalbard with the Z9 on waders with some very good bird's eye tracking. Seems to work on Reindeer too!

[mike_halliwell]

Here it is.

 

[ilkka_nissila]

I suppose Nikon wants as many Z6 and Z7 users to buy the Z9, so maybe they won't for a while??

 

I think Nikon know that only a small number of people will be able to afford the Z9 which is a very expensive camera body, and any extra money that a user saves by buying a Z 6 II or Z 7 II instead is likely spent on Z-mount lenses, so they get the money in either case. At least for me it would be a higher priority to buy lenses than a Z9. But I shoot a lot of subjects where fast action is not present, and in many cases I can work with the Z 6 II; it could be a different situation for others.

 

It is also likely that the Z9 is manufactured in small quantities and so even if the money and willingness are there, the product might not be easy to find. I see it more a symbolic product, showing what Nikon can do, rather than the camera that a lot of people will buy.

Edited October 29, 2021 by ilkka_nissila

[Dieter Schaefer]

As Shun suspected in a different thread, Ricci knew a lot more about the Z9; he’s been using it for months:

[ilkka_nissila]

A lot of videos ... can someone summarize the observations? :-)

[ShunCheung]

A lot of videos ... can someone summarize the observations? :)

Yes, Ilkka. I have a simple summary: you should pre-order two Z9 now. :cool:

Edited October 29, 2021 by ShunCheung

[BeBu Lamar]

Erik should just sneak over next door to Thailand and pick one up from the factory. :cool:

I think if you order one in Thailand is going to take longer than in the US even though they make them there.

[joseph_smith3]

I have already alerted my wife that I may be going mirrorless with the Z9. Please pray for me that I survive the discussions!

[ShunCheung]

As Shun suspected in a different thread, Ricci knew a lot more about the Z9; he’s been using it for months.

I have the feeling that Nikon must have loaned out a few dozen pre-production Z9 to various photographers around the world. B&H has released their own video with Joe McNally. The time stamp on that was from early October. A couple of photographers in Hong Kong have their Z9 video ....

 

One camera store in the San Francisco Bay Area is having a Z9 show and tell event in a hotel conference room next Tuesday, November 2. Unfortunately that one is more like 50 miles, one hour drive each way for me, on a Tuesday night. Hopefully more of such events will pop up. Clearly Nikon is marketing the Z9 very hard.

Edited October 29, 2021 by ShunCheung

[mike_halliwell]

IF I could get £4100 (I can) from my bank in cash and exchange them for $5500, swim the Atlantic and buy a Z9 I would (!)

 

But £5300, is a bit too far!